Cop Car
by TDM9218
Summary: This little story was inspired by Keith Urban's song Cop Car (hence the title). It's an AU Modern story in which Mary, her ladies and Francis are in high school and Sebastian is in college. Also Mary's parents are both alive. I borrowed heavily from some of Torrance's interviews to create a modern Bash. I own neither the song nor Reign. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Mary Stuart and her four best friends were animatedly preparing for their night out. Mary's long time crush Francis Valois was throwing the graduation party of a lifetime in his family's mansion slightly early in relation to actual graduation since his parents were both unexpectedly away on a business trip out of the country. Though the five girls attended a girls only private school they had been lucky enough to score invites thanks to Mary's friendship with Francis since childhood.

Her father was a colleague of his father's, which had insured that they grew up playing together. Francis had been her first kiss on the playground when they were only five, and her first real kiss just this year in his BMW after being her date to a charity dinner for the company. She was always grateful that their parents were such good friends due to their fathers' job. Tonight she was even more thankful since it meant that her parents were out of the country as well. The girls had therefore planned to spend the night at the Stuart's empty mansion, which would let them avoid their parents' disapproval for what was truly going to be a debaucherous night.

Aylee had chosen to wear a simple sleek light green party dress with modest four inch heels. Lola was wearing a simple, practical black dress in a classic cut with low heels, but she had been persuaded to sex it up a bit with knee high stiletto boots. Greer and Kenna on the other hand were taking full advantage of going to a co-ed party with the full intention of snagging a boy toy for the night. Greer wore a red mini dress with a squared neckline that was low enough to expose the top of her breasts and six inch matching strappy heels. Kenna wore a slinky almost sheer metallic silver dress with a deep plunging neckline with silver chains connecting the sides and seven inch stripper heels. They were all sitting around watching Mary struggle to find something to wear. She wanted to be sexy for Francis but not to the point of attracting the wrong sort of attention. After trying on too many outfits to count, the girls finally decided on a strapless green top with a skin tight black skirt that stopped mid-thigh but had a small slit extending upwards on both legs with five inch black strappy platform heels.

Meanwhile….

Sebastian arrived at his father's mansion and paused stepping out of his black truck. He really couldn't believe that he had agreed to spend his Friday night here of all places. But Francis was his brother (half-brother he heard both their mothers scold), and he couldn't let him down. Francis wanted to throw the biggest, wildest party any of these high school kids had ever seen. That left Bash and his frat brothers in charge of the one thing Francis himself was not capable of supplying, the booze. So here he was with at least ten frat guys and as many kegs of beer plus a veritable army of liquor bottles and mixers.

It really hadn't been hard to convince his brothers that this was an endeavor that they should support since Francis had assured him there would be plenty of slutty high school chicks. He was actually not looking forward to that part. He knew that these types would be all over all the college guys at the party (of which he was one, if not old enough to legally buy the booze), but he had plenty of that at their college parties with much less trepidation about young girls and their feelings.

Francis just stared at him when he walked by in simple dark jeans, black boots, and a T-shirt. "You're wearing that?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" scoffed a slightly offended Bash.

"This is a graduation party, brother. The chicks will be dressing up for this." With that Francis was dragging him upstairs to change. Thirty minutes later and all he could convince Bash to change was his shirt. So with a resigned sigh, Francis gave up. And Bash got to return to setting up for the party wearing an emerald green button down dress shirt in place of his T-shirt.

A short thirty minutes after that Bash was sitting in the cozy den watching House of Cards with a Crown and Coke, as his little brother's high school friends starting showing up. Football buddies came first, followed shortly by the cheerleaders, and what sounded like the rest of the school. He sighed and reached for the remote to turn up the volume in the attempt to drown out the noise. He wanted no part of the madness beginning outside the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Mary and her friends arrived fashionably late, just as they had planned to. They wanted to make an entrance and walk into a party that was already in full swing. When the doorbell rang, Bash was attempting to stealthily sneak to the bar for a refill, which unfortunately made him the closest one to the front door. Taking a quick peak out the peephole and seeing the excited fresh faces of five high school girls he decided it was probably safe to let them in. He swung the door wide open and swept out an arm motioning them in, "Ladies…."

Kenna and Lola both found them staring at this handsome stranger from head to toe. Lola quickly looked away embarrassed, but Kenna met his eyes and smiled flirtatiously. On that note Sebastian decided it was time to excuse himself for that refill.

Mary's eyes swept the crowd looking for Francis, but he was nowhere to be found. The girls were dragging her towards the bar in no time, insistent that they start the night with shots. Almost instantaneously Kenna and Greer had found two of the frat boys to flirt with and get to make drinks. Lola and Aylee were being approached by a couple of the other brothers, but Mary was far too distracted. She had come here with one purpose, and she intended to find him soon.

That's when they saw her. A beautiful blonde in a sleek blue dress with a VERY low cut back who seemed completely comfortable with an equally gorgeous blonde boy with crystal blue eyes holding her upside down to do a keg stand. Mary smiled clearly pleased to find Francis as the life of the party. She started across the great expanse of the living room towards her prize. That's when the dance music started and the lights started to move spotlighting various areas of the room. Mary found it difficult to move between all the bodies on the makeshift dance floor. It felt like it took fifteen minutes to reach the spot she had last seen Francis. But when she got there he wasn't there. She started to scan the crowd again. Which is when, she saw him pressed up against Olivia in a corner. Her eyes went wide with shock. She had never seen anyone be so wantonly sexual. Olivia was grinding against Francis and he was clutching at her breasts as he kissed her neck. He jaw dropped though when Olivia started leading Francis up the stairs to what Mary knew was his room.

Before she knew it she turned and moved as quickly as possible through the sweaty crowd of bodies towards the door. She wanted air and freedom from all these people, these strangers. But she was acutely aware that she couldn't leave her friends without transportation. Glancing around quickly, she ducked into the den, hoping for some peace and quiet. But instead what met her when she turned around was a pair of piercing green eyes staring at her from where he lounged on the leather sofa.

"Why hello…." Bash said startled at her abrupt entrance. He remembered this girl. He knew he had seen her face before. It dawned on him when she began to speak that he had seen her in several of the photos that decorated this mansion. "You must be Mary," he stated matter-of-factly.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, taken aback.

"I've seen your photo all over my father's house," he answered without thought. She looked at him quizzically. "Ah…. I see they haven't talked about me in your presence as much as they have talked about you in mine. I'm not surprised really. I'm Henry's bastard son by Diane de Poiters, his mistress."

This night was all just too weird. First, she was watching the love of her life be intimate with a blonde stranger, and now, she was being introduced to his bastard half-brother. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. She was blaming the shots she had done with the girls, but she knew that it was more.

Watching her struggle was more than Sebastian could take. He sat his glass down and strode across the room and reached out to softly touch her shoulder. When she turned into him her gently pulled the despondent girl into his chest. "What's wrong?" he queried, hoping he hadn't upset her with the revelation of the family secret.

"It's your brother," she managed to say before her voice caught in her throat.

_Uh oh…. I am sooo out of my depth here_. - Sebastian thought. Stroking her hair in a comforting way he asked, "What did he do this time?"

She began to sob in earnest. Maybe it was the slight inebriation or maybe it was just that he felt warm and comforting and safe, but Mary was rambling on about everything that Francis had done before she even realized it. She told him that she was expecting to come here and be Francis' date, but then she had seen him with the blonde. Even worse was the fact that the blonde was dragging him upstairs to his bedroom like they had been there before. Bash just listened without saying a word.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey. How about we get out of here for a bit?" he whispered.

She was thankful for the invitation to escape, so she agreed without her usual weighing of all the risks. Ordinarily she would have said that she would never be getting into a car and going who knows where with a strange man she had just met, but she wouldn't have thought she would be spilling out her secrets to him either.

He wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulders and led her out of the den turning her towards the front door. That's when Lola called out to her, "Mary!"

"We've been looking all over for you," Kenna accused.

"Are you leaving…. with him?" Greer asked noting Bash's arm wrapped protectively around her. She took an elbow in the ribs from Aylee for the way her comment sounded.

"I just need a break and some fresh air," Mary stated looking up at the girls. Her eyes were red from the tears and her mascara was smudged.

"What's wrong?" Lola immediately asked.

"I don't feel like talking about it right now," Mary said defiantly. "You guys should stay. We've all been looking forward to this party for so long. I don't want to ruin it for you. I'll be back in an hour or so…." she trailed off looking at Bash. He simply nodded.

The girls seemed skeptical, at best. Lola looked Sebastian in the eye and said with steely cold resolve, "You better be a perfect gentleman, bring her back immediately, and take care of her."

He grinned. "Of course, m'lady." He mock bowed and guided Mary out the door before the warnings and thinly veiled threats continued.

They walked in silence towards his truck with his arm still draped lightly around her shoulders. He walked around and opened the passenger side door for her even holding her hand to support her as she stepped up. She couldn't help but think what a perfect gentleman he was turning out to be.

He climbed in and started driving towards his favorite spot to sit and ponder all of lives problems. Silence reigned. She stared out the window. He turned on the radio and Arcade Fire's Virgin Mary Highway started pouring out of his speakers. By the time he turned off the main road and into the city park she was tapping her fingers absentmindedly to the beat of the music. He was pleased to note that she had relaxed some. He followed the winding park road passed the "No Trespassing" sign down to the lake and backed into a secluded spot.

She came out of her thoughts like they were a trance and began to look about and really take in her surroundings. He had gotten out of the truck and started around to her side. He opened the door, helped her down, and began to set something up in the truck bed. She stared out over the water. He called her name softly. When she turned around there was a comfy looking seating area of pillows and blankets set up in the truck bed. She smiled and started towards him shivering slightly from the cool breeze off the lake. He shrugged off a jacket she hadn't noticed him put on and slipped it around her delicate shoulders before lifting her into the truck bed. He sat on the tailgate. She picked out a spot on the blankets and took off her shoes. By then she realized that he had no intention of moving any closer and he couldn't possibly be comfortable on the hard, cold, metal tailgate, so she found herself patting the spot next to her invitingly. He smiled and came to sit beside her.

She pulled herself out of her reverie to engage in small talk, convincing herself that it was the polite thing to do and not in the least bit due to her curiosity about the handsome gentleman. "So, since your Francis' brother, where have you been all these years?" she queried, innocently enough she thought.

He laughed robustly. "Most families don't parade around their bastard children for all their society friends to get to know, Mary," he said it confidently as if he knew his place and part to play but wasn't in the least bit bothered by it. "Besides, Catherine didn't know about her husband's affair with my mother until a couple years ago."

"How did she find out?"

"Their accountant told her about a sum of money that had recently started being deposited into an account he didn't recognize," Bash grimaced.

"Was he paying your mother off?" she asked incredulously.

He laughed. "No, he was paying for my college tuition."

"Oh…. You're older then…" she states as if it is just dawning on her.

"Older than you and Francis, yes. Old man, not by a long shot," he teases with a twinkle in those bright green eyes.

She blushes. "So how much older exactly?" she asks suddenly made bold.

"I'm 20," he says smirking at her sudden curiosity.

"So is crashing high school parties all you older guys do?"

He laughed heartily. "My brothers and I were there simply as a favor to my little brother. Well…. Some of them might have been counting on getting laid. But I had no desire to attend."

She is surprised by how easily he brings up sex. It's always been a taboo subject that she has been kept sheltered from by attending a private girls only school. "I suppose that means you aren't having any problems getting laid at college then," she mutters almost under her breath.

He smirks. "Not really, no. But no girlfriend, if that's what you're really asking."

She blushes. _I wasn't aware I was that transparent_, she thinks. "So what are you studying?" she asks to change the subject.

"I'm interested in video game design. So, I am majoring in Interactive Media with a minor in Game Design at USC."

That launched a long conversation about what that really meant, his part time job as a game tester, and her goals of going to law school someday. Relaxing into the conversation they lost track of time.

That's when they saw the lights. Red and blue flashing lights to be exact. "Oh shit!" he cussed as he quickly climbed out of the truck bed and lifted her after him.

"Do you think we should try and drive away?" she queried anxiously. She had always been the good girl and had never been in any kind of serious trouble in her life.

He looked at her quizzically. "You're a wild child, huh? Not what I expected… But, no. I think that it would just be worse if they caught us running away."

They both took deep breaths to steady themselves. He reached for her hand to try and lend her some strength sensing her nerves.

"What are you two kids doing out here so late?" the officer asked gruffly.

"Just taking in the scenery and enjoying the peace and quiet, officer," Sebastian answered cheekily.

"Well, your scenery happens to be on city property, so you are trespassing, young man," he replied angrily. Before they knew it they had cuffs slapped onto their wrists and were thrown into the back of the squad car.


	4. Chapter 4

The officers took their sweet time processing the two of them at the city jail. But neither of them seemed to mind. They talked about everything and joked about the community service they would be doing for the rest of the summer. When they were offered a phone call, Mary couldn't think of who she might call. _Both my parents are out of town and what would my friends be able to do…._ Bash on the other hand confidently dialed his mother's number. After some hushed conversation with her, he was returned to their cell. She had lapsed into a moment of panic during his absence.

"What are we going to do, Sebastian?" she pleaded.

Calmly he replied, "We are going to wait until my mother shows up to bail us out. Oh and Mary… It's Bash. All my friends call me Bash."

"Your mother?!" she asked incredulously. "What will she think of me? Definitely not making a good first impression. She is going to think I'm some juvenile delinquent who drags her son into huge messes."

He chuckles. "She won't blame you for this one bit. She knows me. And she'll love you…" He smiles knowingly. Diane had always been a huge supporter of anything her only child did and his biggest confidante in all of his troubles. She knew about most if not all of his misadventures and the only thing that she cared about in his friends was that they were as supportive of him as she thought they could be. Plus, she liked any girl he liked, and he was pretty crazy about Mary already.

Fifteen short minutes later, the cuffs were removed and the pair was released to Diane de Poiters. "Sebastian…" she scolded.

"Hello, mom," he replied. "This is Mary Stuart." He gently guided Mary towards his mother. Diane scanned the girl from head to toe – slightly younger than Sebastian and one of those rich daughters of his father's colleagues. She stiffly reached out to shake Mary's offered hand. "How old are you, Mary?" she questioned.

"17, but eighteen in less than a month," she replied nervously.

"So are we taking you to your parents' house?" Diane asked.

"About that…." Mary stammered. "My parents are out of town. I was supposed to be at home having a sleep over with my friends, but we went to a party at Francis Valois' house instead. None of our parents know that we went to the party or that we are staying alone." She was rambling and she knew it but this was the most embarrassing situation she had ever found herself in. She had never had to explain such a colossal mistake to a total stranger before. It didn't help that Sebastian was staring at her, clearly unaware of the large mess he had incidentally gotten dragged into.

Diane just laughed. "Well, it would seem we have some messes to clean up, huh? Are you friends still at the party?" Sebastian and Mary nodded and said in unison, "I think so." "Alright, we'll go get them first. Then we will go to your home, Mary. And I will make sure you kids stay out of trouble until your father returns tomorrow."

Mary's face fell. She hadn't processed yet that she would have to explain this huge transgression to her parents. _Mom and dad will never trust me again. I'm going to spend the rest of my high school days locked up._

Diane smiled knowingly at the look. "Sebastian, will explain this whole mess to your parents tomorrow evening."

Now it was Sebastian's turn to look shocked. _I was driving and all, but it's not like I kidnapped her_, he scoffed. But outwardly, he respectfully replied, "Yes, mother."

With that Sebastian took Mary's hand and begun to lead her towards his mother's sleek black Viper convertible. He opened the door for her and guided her in just like he had in his truck. They drove off in silence. Diane had the top down, so Mary found herself burying deeper into Bash's jacket.


	5. Chapter 5

They pulled up out front of the Valois mansion without his mother needing the least bit of direction, which made perfect sense in light of Bash's revelation. Mary politely didn't comment. "I'll wait for you," Diane said with a smile. Bash stepped out of the car and started to guide her towards the front door.

Sebastian confidently let himself in. The place looked a lot different now. Most of the guests were gone and it looked like someone had been doing quite a bit of clean up. Lola and Francis were sitting on the sofa facing the door wearing worried, tired expressions. Greer was in the corner cuddled up to Leith, one of Bash's close friends. Aylee and Kenna were nowhere to be found. But they only got a quick glimpse because instantaneously Lola, Francis, Greer and a more reluctant Leith swarmed them.

"Where have you been?" Lola angrily demanded.

"Yes, brother, where did you two run off to?" Francis added, clearly despising the fact that Bash had snuck off and stolen some alone time with Mary.

Mary looked down embarrassed and not ready to face all the confrontation. Greer smiled understandingly and said, "We're just glad you are back." She lightly patted Mary's shoulder.

"It's a long story," Bash replied dismissively. "I'm sure Mary will explain everything in due time, but in the meantime, where are the other two?"

"Aylee is in the bathroom, rather sick…." Lola replied. "And Kenna snuck upstairs with Kenneth," Greer replied with a blush. Bash rolled his eyes. This would not be the first time he'd walked in on the college football player and some random girl, and it probably wouldn't be the last either.

"Mary, do you think you, Lola, and Greer can handle Aylee?" Sebastian asked, politely sparing all three the embarrassment of retrieving Kenna. "Oh yes!" they all replied quickly and hurriedly headed for the closest bathroom. He grimly turned and headed up the stairs leaving Francis standing alone in the living room.

Bash loudly rapped on the door. "Kenneth, come on man. We need to go." "Just a couple minutes," he replied between panting breaths. Kenna for her part had gone stiff and still. She was embarrassed to be found in such a compromising position. "Nope. Now," Bash called, followed by, "I'm coming in." He turned the door knob and swung the door open. Kenna dove under the bed sheets certain she was the color of a ripe tomato. Kenneth just groaned and sat up, their passion interrupted, he commenced dressing without another word. When he finished he shot Bash a sly smirk clapped him on the back and strolled out without another word to Kenna. "Kenna," Bash called softly. "I'm going to give you a few minutes of privacy to make yourself presentable, but your friends and I will be waiting for you downstairs." With that Bash turned, locked and shut the door, and trotted down the stairs.

Lola and Greer were collapsed on the couch on either side of a clearly drunk and slightly green complected Aylee. Francis and Leith had disappeared. Mary sat in a recliner and Sebastian stood in the center of the room with all the girls' eyes upon him. They waited for what seemed like ages before a VERY embarrassed and red Kenna descended the stairs, looking somewhat disheveled. Bash strode over to the group on the couch. "May I?" he asked gesturing towards Aylee. "Oh yes please!" a very drunk Aylee slurred. Lola and Greer simply nodded and stood making room for him. He swept her up into his arms and the group walked out to his mother's car. "Hello, ladies!" Diane called cheerily. Introductions were made and Bash settled Kenna, Mary and Aylee into his mother's car. He had agreed to walk the other two the few blocks to the Stuart mansion.

His mother car hadn't even completely pulled away from the curb before Sebastian found himself bombarded with questions about Mary, their whereabouts, his mother's presence, his intentions towards her, and a sprinkling of Leith. He answered to the best of his ability, without giving too much away, and declined some questions thinking that they were more suited for Mary to answer.


	6. Chapter 6

Upon arriving at the mansion, Sebastian was asked to carry Aylee upstairs to Mary's room. He complied without protest. He found he loved the simple elegance of her bedroom. Everything was clearly in its place and the separate areas of the room each had their own purpose. Plus her bed was huge and looked quite comfortable. He had to tear his thoughts from the inappropriate track he found them running down. So he excused himself.

But it wasn't long before he was back with a breakfast tray containing several waters, ginger ales, and a dose of aspirin for each girl. "Trust me you'll thank me in the morning," he said with a cheeky grin motioning to the aspirin. As he stepped out the door, Mary called his name. He turned. She strode to the door suddenly full of confidence and slipped out behind him closing the door quickly behind her.

"Thank you, for everything," she whispered sincerely before standing on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his lips. One he returned without the slightest of hesitations. Suddenly she pulled back embarrassed for being so bold. "I'm sorry, Bash. I shouldn't have done that."

"You're right. I should have," he said pulling her towards him and kissing her with more intensity. _This is not the time or the place_, he thought. Then he pulled away. "Have a goodnight, Mary." He smiled and headed downstairs to face his mother.

Sure enough Diane was waiting patiently for him in the kitchen. He silently commenced going through the fridge and pantry hoping to find something small to snack on. After settling on a PB&J sandwich, he stood at the center island preparing it while his mother's dark eyes bore into his skull. "Yes, mother?"

"What were you thinking? Have you gone and lost your heart over some little rich girl you know you could never truly have? One of Francis' friends nonetheless." She was perturbed. She wanted desperately to protect Sebastian from the life in the shadows that she herself was living. She needed him to feel like a respected, equal with the woman that he chose to give his heart to.

"She's amazing," he said reverently making no attempt to hide the feelings she knew were there. "Francis hurt her. She just needed to get away from it all for a bit. Then before I knew it we were just talking about everything."

"Just be careful…" his mother warned. She couldn't deprive her son of anything that he truly wanted, and she could tell that Mary definitely made that list.

They retired - him to the living room sofa and her to one of the guest bedrooms.

In the morning, the girls found strong black coffee poured into cups and a light breakfast with more aspirin set out and a second pot of coffee brewing. Sebastian and his mother set at the small breakfast table pouring over the paper and animatedly discussing current events. "Good morning, ladies," they said in unison looking up from the paper.

The girls nervously proceeded to the larger formal dining room table where Sebastian and his mother joined them – the papers forgotten on the breakfast table. The girls quietly chattered about the party last night. Diane smiled, "Speak up, girls. I used to love a good party when I was your age. Besides I'm not any of your parents." Sheepishly they began to discuss the night's events in earnest, but when Diane chimed in and laughed along at some of their antics they began to feel more comfortable and willingly include her in their conversation. Sebastian simply set back and watched Mary's eyes light up with joy at the girls revelations.

He finished his breakfast and rose. "If you'll excuse me, ladies, I must go retrieve my truck and get some work done." As if on cue, the doorbell rang. He grinned.

"Wait a minute, Sebastian. Who exactly is here?" his mother asked, concerned for her son.

"Relax, mom. It's just Leith," he said to placate her.

Unfortunately, that meant that all the girls had to show him to the door, mainly so Greer could catch another glimpse of her college boy. He let them make small talk for a few minutes before insisting that they leave so that he would have some time to work.

Mary and Greer stared after Leith's car far longer than was actually necessary. Diane just smiled softly remembering her youthful desire for Henry. 


	7. Chapter 7

Diane found herself spending the morning discussing the girls' interest in various boys. The girls found her to be confidante rather like an older sister. Their conversation was easy and relaxed and no holds barred. Except for Mary, that is. She felt very uncomfortable discussing Bash or Francis in front of Sebastian's mother.

Diane helped the girls play nursemaid to a very hung over Aylee and even gave them pointers on moderating their alcohol intake and what to drink in order to avoid such horrible consequences. She encouraged Greer to pursue Leith, saying, "He's a nice boy. Always polite. And he's been an excellent friend to Sebastian." By the same token she warned Kenna off of Kenneth (and all other boys like him). "Guys like Kenneth only want you for what they can take from you. And once they have what they wanted they're through with you. They aren't worth your time, much less your feelings." She teased Lola about being far more grown up than her age belied and coaxed her to feel free to let loose some and enjoy her youth.

"So, Mary, we haven't heard you say much this morning," she said with a sly smirk.

Mary blushed. "I'm not sure you would care for my thoughts, miss."

"Oh, I'm MOST interested in your thoughts. Trust me."

Mary began to talk about her feelings for Francis and how hurt she was when she saw him with the blonde, Olivia (her friends supplied the girl's name). She talked about being childhood sweethearts, or so she thought. She talked of betrayal. But then she talked about Bash reading her like a book and make her feel comfortable and safe even when she was completely out of her element. She spills the details of their secret kisses the night before.

Diane smiled throughout. She could sense that the girl was interested in both boys and hadn't yet made up her mind. She sensed that Francis' dalliance with the Olivia girl had stung but not so much that Mary couldn't overlook it. She wanted to say, "Don't break his heart. Sebastian has real true feelings for you." But instead she merely said, "When you toy with matters of the heart it becomes so easy to get burned. Make sure you keep yourself safe and don't destroy any relationships that are meaningful to you."

After a quiet simple lunch, Diane helped Mary get all the girls home – safe, sound, and sober. None of their parents were told about their wild night, for which all the girls were quite grateful. Then Mary's mother called to notify her that they were en route from the airport. Diane took that as her cue to head home, but she made sure to reassure Mary that Bash would do his part to explain their problem to her family.

Meanwhile….

Bash and Leith drove in silence listening to rock music for a while before Leith felt the need to speak. "So, am I crazy for being this into a high school senior?"

Sebastian laughed. "If you are then I definitely am. Not to mention I have a brother who thanks I'm some sort of traitor."

Leith smirked. He knew Bash's tendencies with women. "Was she worth being in the doghouse with your little brother?"

"She most definitely is worth it. She's not your average girl. She is so smart and so independent, but she was so vulnerable last night. I get the impression that she is not at all used to the wildness of the world."

"You mean you didn't….?" Leith's question trailed off.

"Not even close," Bash confirmed.

"Is that a first?" Leith pushed.

Bash punched him in the shoulder good naturedly and changed the subject, slightly. "What about you and the lovely redhead?"

Leith blushed. "I didn't even try to push my luck. I was just happy to get to share her company."

"Are you planning on seeing her again?"

"If she'll let me," he said longingly.

Bash smirked. "She'll let you." But then they arrived at his abandoned truck. "I'll call you later after I know if her dad is going to roast me alive."

Leith grinned. "Have fun with that. See you, man."

Bash spent the remainder of his morning playing a computer game he was testing on his system at his apartment. He logged a couple of glitches and made suggestions for solving the problem. Then he looked up at the clock. "Oh shit!" he cussed aloud. He was supposed to be at Mary's parents' house for dinner which she had informed him started promptly at six. His mother was of the opinion that he should at least be dressed in business casual attire. Currently it was 5:30 and he was in workout gear. He rushed around, grabbed the vase of flowers his mother had insisted he bring for her mother, and jumped in the truck. He managed to arrive just minutes prior to the serving of dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

He stood nervously in front of the massive front door smoothing his khaki slacks and tucked in light blue dress shirt. He couldn't escape the fact that he was scared to death of how her father was going to react to a guy three years his daughter's senior getting her arrested. But he was out of time to think so he rang the doorbell and hoped for the best. A young maid opened the door. She lead him into the large formal dining room, which was looking much more formal than it had this morning when his mother and several high school girls had been gossiping around it. He placed the flowers cautiously on a sideboard and paced.

He was startled from his reverie by a delicate throat clearing. He spun around and confronted Mary's mother who was wearing a navy blue classic sheath dress and low heels. "Hello, Mrs. Stuart. I'm Sebastian de Poiters, Mary's friend. And these are for you," he said offering his hand first and the flowers next.

She smiled politely. "It's very nice to meet you, Sebastian. But I don't remember Mary ever mentioning you before." She was fishing for information. Her and her husband had been quite surprised when Mary had announced that she had something that she needed to tell them and worse yet that this boy had to be present for the announcement. Their minds had been racing and coming up with all kinds of horrible scenarios, but Mary had refused to clue them in. Her daughter had seemed quite nervous though.

He smiled dodging the question and was saved (if you could call it that) by the entrance of her father. He was an imposing man dressed in tailored slacks with a navy blue button down shirt. His eyes fixed on Bash like he intended to crucify him on the spot. However, Sebastian was used to that look. He had had the privilege of standing up to his oftentimes mercurial father many times in his short life. He returned the stare with a slight smile. "Mr. Stuart, I'm Sebastian de Poiters," he said calmly while extending his hand for a firm handshake. Mr. Stuart seemed to relax a bit as he returned the handshake. The two hosts set on one side of the table and Sebastian moved to sit across from them.

When Mary stepped into the room, Sebastian came to his feet. His green eyes locked on her and didn't let go. She was wearing a simple periwinkle blue linen dress and low heels, but he couldn't help but think that she was stunning. She could be wearing a sack, and she would still be stunning. She was blushing with the embarrassment of leaving him down here with her parents to suffer their wrath. He greeted her with a quick peck on the cheek and pulled out her chair.

As the servants began to deliver salads to the table, Mary's mother asked, "So, Sebastian how exactly did you and Mary come to be friends?" Her eyebrow was raised pointedly.

He smiled and talked about meeting her at the Valois mansion at a small get together. Mary silently thanked him for not mentioning the debaucherous party; everything else would be hard enough to explain.

"Which brings me to the issue that your daughter and I would like to discuss with you…" Sebastian was sure this was the time to bring it up and clear the air, but he found himself cut off by her father. "We don't discuss business at the dinner table, son."

With that dismissal, the rest of the meal was spent discussing her parents' recent trip to Europe, Mary's upcoming graduation and college plans, and Sebastian's work and school. Mary admired the easy way he followed and participated in the conversation. She had never had a high school friend who could converse with her parents this easily.

After the last course was finished, Mr. Stuart invited Sebastian to the den to discuss business. Mary started to protest (she had never intending for Bash to face the firing squad alone), but her father cut her off. "This is a man's conversation. Little girls have no business participating."

Her mother held her back. As soon as they left the room, she turned on her mother. "You better not let daddy be too mean. It wasn't all Sebastian's fault. He was just trying to be there for me."

"Do tell, daughter," her mother said with ice in her voice as she sat down once more.

Mary rushed through the tale of being overcome with emotion and needing some air. She explained that Bash had offered her some time away. She talked about the beauty of his spot by the lake and reassured her mother that they had done nothing malicious. Then she told her about the cops and the arrest for trespassing. She explained that Diane de Poiters had taken care of them. "I was never in any danger, mother. I'm completely prepared to pay the consequences. I'll do community service."

Her mother seemed relieved. "So nothing inappropriate happened between you and that boy?"

Mary was shocked. She had no idea that her parents had thought that Sebastian had taken advantage of her. She could only imagine what he was going through with her father across the hall. "No, mother! Of course not!" She was mildly insulted that her mother thought she would fall into Sebastian's arms so easily.

"Well that is excellent," her mother seemed genuinely pleased. "Your father can take care of this little trespassing mishap without any difficulty at all."

Meanwhile…

In the den, Mr. Stuart turned on Sebastian like and angry bull. "What were you thinking, son?" he raged.

"I'm sorry. I just thought that it was nice peaceful spot for her to escape whatever it was that was so obviously bothering her." Sebastian wasn't sure how he knew what had happened without him explaining it. Truth be told, he was thinking that the cops had never shown up the countless other times he had parked in that same spot.

He father paused. "Son, what exactly did you come here to tell me?"

"I came here to tell you that I took your daughter to have a moment of peace instead of forcing her to tolerate a situation that was obviously disturbing her, but I was careless and ignored the no trespassing sign by the lake. The arrest was completely my fault. She did nothing wrong."

The older man started laughing, a deep rumbling sort of laugh. Sebastian's brows pulled together in confusion. This was by no means the reaction he was expecting.

"I thought you were coming here to tell me you had been stupid enough to get my teenage daughter pregnant out of wedlock. A minor trespassing arrest is a simple thing to take care of, for both of you. As long as you promise me you won't do the former," he said his eyes nailing Sebastian to the wall.

"Of course not, sir." This was better than Sebastian had hoped for. He knew that he was walking a thin line with her parents, but he was ecstatic.

When the men stepped out of the den, the women were waiting. Her father chuckled and walked to his wife, kissing her chastely and whispering in her ear, "What a relief." Mary launched herself at Bash intent on ensuring that her father hadn't been too rough. He simply smiled and quietly comforted her. "It's going to be fine, more than fine actually. I don't know what you told him but he was not expecting what I told him." She blushed. "I think it was more of a problem of what I didn't tell them."


	9. Chapter 9

As the days passed, she thought about calling Bash many times, but she never could quite make herself pick up the phone. She couldn't think of what to say, a lead into the conversation. _He probably thinks of me as some little girl who got him caught up in one of the most embarrassing situations of his life_, she thought. She felt comfortable and easy around him, but she wasn't happy with their last social encounter when he had to explain to her father their arrest.

Sebastian, for his part, waited for her call daily. He hated to admit that he was disappointed whenever he looked at his phone and didn't see her name. He consciously resisted calling her knowing that she still had feelings for his brother even when they had their moment. He wanted her to have space to make her own decision and to feel free to choose either of them. He hoped she would choose him, but after a couple weeks past he was sure that was not the case.

Francis wasted no time reaching out to Mary and apologizing profusely for his asinine actions with Olivia, calling on her that Friday. He swore that he was being a foolish young boy and reminiscing on a folly of his youth. He promised her that he wanted to go into the next phase of their lives –adulthood – with her by his side. He said that she was his mature and rational choice. Then he asked her to be his prom date. She couldn't help but say yes. After all this is really is what she had always wanted, right?

After she had agreed to Francis' proposal of attending prom, she made the obligatory calls to all the girls. They all seem overjoyed for her. The group planned to go dress shopping together that Saturday. Aylee chose a long flowy yellow gown. Greer chose a light blue halter top floor length gown with deep blue gemstones in the center apex of the V neck. Lola selected a rich purple Cinderella style gown with gold embroidery. Kenna fell in love with a modest appearing scooped necked floor length red dress with a dangerously low-cut back. Mary took forever to select a bright blue form fitting strapless gown. They spent the remainder of their glorious spring day accessorizing and trying on shoes from each other's closets.

The two weeks between their shopping adventure and the prom seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, Mary found herself getting ready with Aylee, Kenna, and Lola. Leith was accompanying Greer to prom, and he had wanted to take her out for a fancy dinner beforehand. All the girls were more than a little jealous that their high school beaus hadn't made them the same offer. The doorbell rang at precisely the same time that Mary finished fastening her last piece of jewelry. She had just enough time to steal one look at herself all prettied up in the full length mirror in her room before being dragged down the stairs by the eager girls.

At the bottom of the steps stood the four ladies high school dates. All in suits with shirts matching the girls dresses. Kenna was ecstatic to have landed the quarterback as her date. Lola would be attending with Benjamin, her friend since childhood who was the captain of the school's chess team. Aylee was being accompanied by Matthew, a boy she'd only met a couple times at her parents' get-togethers. It was their parents' idea. She was less than impressed. Then there was Francis. Mary stared down into his smiling eyes and tried hard to remember her deep longing for this boy from before the Olivia incident. It failed.

The night passed in a blur for Mary. Kenna and the quarterback disappeared fairly early on. Greer spent the whole night on the dance floor in Leith's arms. Aylee ditched Matthew right after someone caught their first dance on camera, for the parents'. Lola and Benjamin spent the evening at a quiet-ish corner table comparing notes on all the colleges they had been accepted to. Time for accepting an offer was drawing to a close, and they were set on having the absolute best education. Mary wore the corsage that Francis had bought for her. She danced when he wanted to. She posed happily for photos with him. But she didn't feel the magic that everyone seemed to recollect fondly when reminiscing on their prom.

After the prom all the girls and their dates piled into the rented limo that brought them and headed to the Valois mansion for an after party. This time Francis' father was willing funding the entertainment. The pool was opened up. Mocktails were being served by bartenders. Hors d'oeuvres were being handed out by uniformed servers. A DJ pumped beats throughout the house. Mary and Francis roamed the party saying hi to everyone and accepting complements for hosting an amazing party. However, she found herself being dragged upstairs towards Francis' bedroom. Just inside the door he seemed to turn into another man entirely, one who seemed to think that she belonged to him. His hands were all over her. She struggled to process what was going on. Falling back on his bed with her dress pushed up and him reaching down to unfasten his slacks snapped her to her senses. She sprung up and fled the room, tearing out the front door and down the street.

Aylee caught a glimpse of Mary in flight but was unable to catch her. She alerted the rest of the gang. Lola stormed upstairs to Francis' room and banged her fists on the door intent on obtaining an explanation for Mary's rash behavior from the likely cause. Greer and Kenna started planning out the search for their friend. In the background of the chaos, Leith shot off a quick text to Bash.


	10. Chapter 10

**I got overwhelming awesome feedback from the last chapter. It seems like we all need a little Mash right now, so I am sharing another chapter early.**

Kenna and Greer had decided that the best way to search would be to fan out and go to all the likely places. To that end, they made assignments, based on the widen search perimeter with the discovery that Mary's red BMW convertible was missing.

Greer and Leith would take his car and drive to the beach, since the surf had always been comforting and reminded her of happy times in her childhood.

Kenna would go to the park where she and Mary went jogging weekly.

Lola would go to the USC library, since getting lost in the law textbooks there was Mary's inspiration for attending the school in the fall. She opted to take Benjamin with her.

Aylee was tasked of going to the girls' favorite late night hangouts, mainly coffee shops and pizza places.

But unbeknownst to the girls, Bash had his own plans. It had taken him all of ten seconds to pause the video game he was testing, grab his keys, and jump in his truck. He drove straight to "their" spot by the lake. He used to think of it as his spot, but ever since their evening there it had been their spot to him. As his truck swung into the parking lot he noticed that the only other vehicle there was a red BMW convertible. He was willing to bet that it belonged to Mary; it would be highly unlikely that another rich person was hanging out here this late. He parked next to her car and glanced around. She was strolling along the lakeshore in a floor length gown. He took a moment to shoot a quick text to Leith, "I've got her."

Then he strolled calmly down to the water's edge. She noticed him when she turned around and gasped. He had startled her. She was not expecting anyone to be here. He had told her himself that this spot was normally empty at this time. "What are you doing here?" she said somewhat accusingly when she caught her breath.

"Your friends are worried about you. I thought I might find you here," he stated matter of factly.

"I don't want to be around people tonight," she whispered.

He smiled and reached out to tuck some wayward strands of hair behind her ear. "Don't worry I didn't tell them where you were or promise to take you anywhere. I just let them know that you were safe."

She smiled up at him, continually amazed by his absolute understanding of her. He took her hand and led her back towards their vehicles. Arriving at his truck he opened the door, leaned in and turned on the bed lights. Then he slid through his iPhone playlist, plugged it in to his stereo and selected a song. As the slow melody of Paramore's Only Exception started to filter into the warm spring air he extended his hand to her, "May I have this dance?"

Her face lit up, and she took his hand. His free hand slipped around her delicate waist, and hers slid over his shoulder to wrap around his neck. The dance started off formal and proper with a significant amount of space between them, and her staring up at his smiling eyes. But as the song drew to a close she was resting her head on his chest. They held each other a beat longer than the song. She felt complete. For her this was prom, not losing her virginity in the bedroom of some too rough high school boy. She sighed contentedly.

"I don't think you have to go home and be around everyone, but it seems unwise to stay here much longer considering what happened the last time," he whispered into her hair with a smirk.

She snickered. "Bash, I'm starving," she said slightly embarrassed.

"Well, how do you feel about checking out one of my favorite pizza places?"

"I can't go into a pizza joint dressed like this," she said horrified at the idea.

"Well, I think you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I'd love to take you out and show you off," he said sincerely. "But I'd look like an absolute bum next to you, so you can borrow some of my clothes."

"I'm in."

-While Bash and Mary were enjoying their time together, her friends were anxiously awaiting news of her whereabouts. They had all stopped the frantic search and headed to Mary's house (her parents were once again out of town) after Greer had told them that Sebastian had located her.

Aylee had picked up a pizza from their favorite place since she happened to be there when the text came in. So now, they all set around the formal dining table eating waiting for one of their phones to buzz. Leith had, at Greer's request, asked Bash where they were and requested that they rendezvous at Mary's parent's house. All of the girls had been texting Mary all night long, but to no avail. No one was getting any response from the pair.

"Think they're in jail again?" Leith asked with a grin. Everyone smirked.

After an hour had passed with no sign of them, Lola decided it was time to disband. "We can meet up with her in the morning. Her parents come back tomorrow, so we know she won't stay gone forever."

Aylee and Kenna got in Lola's car to head over to her place, since they had ditched their respective dates at various points during the night's events it made sense to have a slumber party and discuss. Leith helped Greer into his car to take her home.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Rest of the Night**

Leith tried to drive slowly. He didn't want the night to be over, and he was painfully aware of how over it would be when he pulled up outside her parents' house.

"I don't want to go home, Leith," she whispered in a small, shy voice.

"Then where would you like to go, my lady?" he asked, full of cheer. _Perhaps we can delay the inevitable for a little while…._

"Take me anywhere where we can be together. I can't bear to get into bed alone tonight," she said blushing.

For far longer than he cared to admit, he was speechless. She just gave me permission to take her to bed….. What do I say to that? He finally stammered, "We… uh… could go… to my dorm."

She smiled. "I like that idea." He liked the blush on her cheeks and loved the turn of the night's events.

Back in Lola's room

Kenna bemoaned the loss of her quarterback date. Apparently, he had been less than impressed by her NEEDING to go hunt all over town for her missing friend. He had been her trophy of the night, but apparently she had not meant much to him. She had heard from one of the malicious cheerleaders that he had ended up sleeping with a member of the squad.

Aylee, on the other hand, was absolutely thrilled that she had quickly ditched her parent's choice of a date. "He is SO not my type. I have no idea what my mother was thinking." The other two laughed.

Lola blushed when she let spill her decision to attend USC in the fall with Benjamin. "Wait WITH Benjamin?" Kenna asked. "Yeah, he asked me to be his girlfriend," she revealed. "Wait a minute! When did that happen?" Aylee chimed in. "When we were at the library looking for Mary…." She revealed the sordid details of their make out session in the stacks, when pressed by the other two. The girls congratulated her. They all thought that Benjamin and Lola should have gotten together A LONG time ago, like kindergarten or maybe first grade.

Sebastian drove Mary in silence towards his apartment complex, his arm resting amicably on the cent console. She boldly reached over and placed her hand on his. He smiled an interlocked their fingers. He drove by all the fraternity and sorority houses, and she marveled at the wild decorations left over from the Fraturday parties. He smiled picturing her fitting in with his circle of friends without a problem and maybe even pledging one of the sororities. Then they were in the center of a newer apartment complex. He got out and walked around to open her door and help her out. Hand in hand they walked up to his door.

As she entered Sebastian's bachelor pad, she braced for mess. Clothing strewn about the living room, dirty dishes piled high in the sink leading their own unique scent to the space, and posters of scantily clad models on the walls. What she saw was nothing like what she was imagining. His apartment smelt of sandalwood, was simply but beautifully furnished and sparsely decorated, and his hardwood floors were freshly swept. She smiled pleased with the way he lived. He guided her further into his space and down the narrow hallway past his utility room and linen closet to the hallway with the two bedrooms and his bathroom.

"You can start getting out of all this," he said motioning to her dress, "in here," motioning towards his bathroom. "I'll be back with some clothes. I'm sorry, but they won't be near as flattering as what you currently have on."

She smiled and stepped into his bathroom. Quickly realizing what a time of it she would have getting out of the gown alone, she paused and cleared her throat. "Sebastian?" she called. He was already ducking into his bedroom, but he turned towards her voice instantly. She was beautifully flushed. "I….I… might need some help…"

He smiled understandingly and walked back to her. "It's okay. Turn around," he softly commanded. Trustingly she did as he bid. Then she felt his warm deft hands unhooking the clasp and easing the zipper down to her low back. He inhaled deeply feeling slightly overwhelmed by the intensity of his desire for her. It was hard to imagine that the sight of her bare back would invoke such strong feelings in him. "Is that good, Mary?" he whispered, voice husky with his thinly veiled desire.

"Yes! Thank you, Bash," she said turning to smile up at him. He nodded and slipped down the hall to his room once more, welcoming the moment alone.

Moments later, he returned with a hanger for her dress, a pair of black basketball shorts, a Call of Duty: Black Ops shirt, and flip flops. "It's all going to be a little big, but that's kind of the college style. You'll fit right in," he said with a sheepish grin. She thanked him again, and he retreated to the living room to wait.

A few minutes later she emerged wearing his clothing. "You look like you belong in college already," he said. _My clothes have never looked this good_, he thought. _She looks like she is mine._ He loved the possessiveness that seeing her dressed in his clothing inspired.

He led her down the street past various college bars to a little pizza place tucked in between them. She was shocked to find that it was not a place that she and the girls had found. They had tried what seemed like millions of places in their quest to find the perfect pie. She didn't see how they could have missed a single one. She stared up at the wide variety of choices before ordering a small Supreme. He smiled and held out his debit card saying, "Make that a large and add two drinks and a crème brulee." She felt foolish for forgetting to bring her wallet; it remained safely in her clutch with her phone on his bathroom countertop. "I'll pay you back when we get back to your place," she added hurriedly. "You'll do no such thing," he stated firmly. "It's my pleasure to take you out to dinner." They lapsed into easy conversation while sharing pizza, just like they had in a truck bed weeks ago.

When they got back to his apartment, he stashed the leftovers in the oven. She giggled. "What! Cold pizza makes great breakfast," he defended. She readily agreed. _God, she can't be more perfect_, he thought.

He led her to his bedroom flicking the light switch and pulling the cord for the ceiling fan. "You can stay in here. I washed the sheets yesterday. Hope you don't mind that their not fresh," he blushed. "This is absolutely perfect, Bash. But where will you sleep? I can't kick you out of your bed," she protested. "Gentlemen never let ladies take the couch, Mary," he said grabbing a blanket from the closet. "It's not a problem in the least," he added seeing the worry on her face. With no other choice she acquiesced.

However, in the middle of the night he was awoken to her calling out. "No, Francis! I said no!" He ran to her and found her in a tangled mess of his sheets slick with sweat. He gently sat on the edge of the bed and shook her awake. "Mary, it's okay. You're here with me. You're safe." Startling awake, her eyes roamed the room before landing on his comforting face. Before he had a chance to react she was crawling into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, and burrowing into the soft cotton of his T-shirt covering his chest. He stroked her hair whispering comforting words against the top of her head until he thought she was asleep. But when he went to lay her down and return to the couch, she stirred. "Bash, don't leave me." It was a plea. He was powerless against her need. He threw back the covers, she crawled under, and he followed her. He didn't even notice that she was wearing only his shirt and her panties until she cuddled tightly into his side resting her head upon his chest and entangling her legs with his. _This is going to take more self-control than I've ever claimed to possess_ , he thought resigning himself to his fate.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Morning After**

In the morning, Greer awoke from blissful exhausted sleep in a tangle of her and Leith's limbs. She enjoyed this blissful time between soundly sleeping and fully awake taking in the sight of his lean muscular body that her own form molded to so well. She couldn't imagine being more in love than she felt in that moment. She marveled over his soft snores. She couldn't believe that he was still sleeping so soundly with the intense sunlight streaming in through his open blinds. She leaned over to the nightstand and collected her phone to check the time. "Oh my God!" she shrieked. "It's 11 am. My parents are going to kill me!"

Not exactly the wake up I was hoping for, he thought grumpily as he started awake. She had flung herself from bed and was hurriedly dashing off to the bathroom to tidy up. He couldn't help but laugh. Then he had a brilliant idea. He picked up her phone and texted the girls. "I'm telling my parents I spent the night with you guys. I'll explain when we meet up."

When she rushed out of the bathroom in a rush to get home, he flashed her the text with a smirk. She smiled full of gratitude. And then the fun that they started the night before began anew.

Mary woke suddenly and without warning and realized that she was alone. The bed felt far larger and much too cold and foreign without Sebastian's comforting presence beside her. She wondered where he had disappeared to. Then she remembered practically begging him not to leave her in the middle of the night. _Not the smoothest move, Stuart_, she thought. She figured college girls didn't exactly beg him to hold them all night when they woke up from a nightmare and then not put out. Sebastian had probably been quite turned off by her infantile actions. Resigning herself to facing the music she slid from under the covers and bent to pick up the shorts he lent her from where she had discarded them by the bed the night before.

A soft knock at the open bedroom door caused her to quickly glance up. "Good morning, beautiful," his husky voice greeted her._ She was splendid, barely clothed and so…. vulnerable_, he thought. But she must trust him a great deal, because she seemed unaware of her semi-nakedness when she beamed up at him. _She trusts me far more than I trust myself._ "I… uh… brought breakfast," he said with a sheepish grin. He normally wasn't one to bring a girl breakfast in bed; it encouraged them to stay, made them think that this was more than it was. But Mary was different. She could stay forever. In fact, he wanted her to stay forever.

On the plates in his hands were two slices of cold pizza from the night before. A glass of ice cold Sprite set on both the nightstands. She couldn't imagine a more perfect start to the day. She swung her legs back under the covers. He handed her her plate and then slid in next to her. They watched the news and discussed current events. She loved the similarity to the way he started his mornings with his mother.

"My parents get back at three today," she mentions off handedly. He nods. "I didn't realize they were out of town. I thought I was going to have to explain to your father your whereabouts last night and try to convince him that there was still no chance you were carrying my child," he jokes. She slaps his arm and blushes. She is SO ready to be out of her father's house and not accountable to anyone for her whereabouts. _Today would be so much better if I could just spend it leisurely enjoy this precious time with him. _"I'll take you home whenever you want, Mary," he reassures her. She just grimaces. He looks away, "By the way, from the way Leith was texting me last night, the girls are going to be quite interested in hearing from you." "Oh, crap," she flew out of bed and down the hall to the bathroom to retrieve her phone without the slightest thought about donning shorts.

Returning feeling more embarrassed than ever realizing that she is wearing lacy red panties and nothing else under Bash's shirt, she pauses in the doorway. He looks up at her and feels his breath catch in his chest. _She can't possibly have any idea what she's doing to me. If she had any idea how badly I want to pull her down onto this bed and have my way with her, she would not be teasing me so_. "So, apparently Greer 'spent the night' with me last night. So, I guess I'm going to have to get home sooner rather than later." She tried to keep her voice level, but it was difficult with the way his eyes roamed her body and pierced her soul.

He cleared his throat. "Alright then. You can shower and I'll clean up breakfast." He smiled warmly. She turned around before he could see the regret in her eyes. This might have been the most perfect night of her life, but to him it was just one more night with some random girl. _He probably doesn't even think it was anything special_, she thinks. _But for me it was the first time a guy has seen me this unclothed and the first time I've shared a bed with a boy._ In the shower she washes her hair out with his shampoo and conditioner and is struck by the smell of him permeating the air.

He fights all the impulses coursing through his body to walk into the bathroom, climb into the shower with her, and run his hands over her slick body. In the middle of a particularly vivid scenario, she called out his name. "Bash!?" He tried to hide the obvious fact that his mind had been in the gutter before walking down the hallway to his bathroom with trepidation. He was sure that she would notice and think he was a disgusting pig.

She stood at the door to the bathroom, peeking around the corner. "Do you by chance have an extra toothbrush?" "Yeah! It's in the second drawer down on the right," he responded a little too eagerly, for once thankful that he wasn't forced to gaze upon her barely clothed figure.

She thanked him and closed the door. Opening the drawer, she was startled by the sight of not only extra toothbrushes and travel sized toiletries, but several packs of condoms. On the other side of the door leaning against it for support, Bash was realizing what she would find in that drawer. _Stupid, stupid move_, he thought. _There is going to be absolutely no denying your womanizing ways when she comes out of there. You've likely ruined everything. Good job._

Fifteen minutes later, she emerges wearing his clothes from the night before and feeling absolutely refreshed. "I'm ready now," she states plainly. "Let me take that," he says taking her dress from her. This time neither of them reaches for the other's hand while he drives. He pulls up outside her empty mansion. "Mary, about what you found…" he says convinced he should clear the air. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Bash," she says holding up her hand. To hear him explain anything would make the thoughts in her head real. She was already upset enough by the thoughts without his confirmation, and she was acutely aware that she had no right to any of these feelings. Bash had never sworn her any loyalty. He was not hers. She kissed his cheek, thanked him for taking care of her the night before, collected her things, and left. He stared after her feeling her absence very acutely.

**I must confess that I love their sexual tension and a slight amount of angst, so it might take a little bit for them to find their happy ending. But I love Mash, so rest assured that it'll come. **


	13. Chapter 13

Leith pulled up to Mary's house mere moments after Bash drove away, which meant Mary was forced to answer the door in Bash's T-shirt and basketball shorts having had no time to change. _This is less than ideal_, she thought. She was hoping to keep some things to herself at least until she had had some time to really figure out her feelings. She opened the door to an obviously enamored Leith and Greer. Leith's face registered the recognition of whose clothing she was in, but he had the decency to not looked surprised or say anything. _Maybe he's just had a lot of practice_, she thought spitefully. Greer's eyes danced, like she fully intended to interrogate Mary at her earliest convenience. "Well I'll leave you women to it," Leith remarked nervously before kissing Greer goodbye and walking off to his car.

"So spill," Greer said the instant the door shut behind her. Mary laughed. "Mind if we save the whole story of both our nights for when the gang shows up? Otherwise you know we'll both be doing a lot of repeating ourselves," Mary stated factually. Greer shrugged as her acceptance.

They didn't have long to wait. Minutes later the doorbell rang again. As they swung it open, they were met with a veritable attack of hugs from Lola, Aylee and Kenna. "We were so worried about you, Mary," they called out in unison.

"No need. I had my knight in shining armor to protect me," she replied jokingly.

"He is kind of perfect," Aylee sighed dreamily. "I want one," Kenna added. But Lola and Greer said nothing, because they could see that there was a very definite imperfection in Mary's view of Sebastian at the moment.

"Let's head upstairs," Greer suggested. So, in Mary's bedroom piled onto her bed, Greer told her best friends in the whole world about losing her virginity. She assured them that it had been wonderful, perfect, everything she had ever imagined, and that Leith was the perfect gentleman. There were embarrassed giggles and lots of blushing from all but Kenna. It was no secret that Kenna was the most experienced of the group. As per usual, she offered to give advice and pointers if Greer ever wanted them.

Then Mary found herself rambling about her nearly perfect night with Bash. She told them about the magnetic connection she felt to him every time she found herself in his immediate vicinity. She told them about the embarrassing barely clothed moments, and how he hadn't once pushed her for anything. Then she blushed telling them about her embarrassing discovery. Kenna laughed, "I always knew he was a wild one." "How do you feel about that part of Bash's history?" Lola asked. Mary shrugged. "I don't know how to feel. I don't know anything about it really. And I have no claim to him. I have no right to feel anything," she said trying to convince herself more than them. "Of course you have a right to feel something!" Greer exclaimed outraged. "You have genuine feelings for him." "He has no idea about any of that, Greer," Mary simply said. "He remembers your kiss, Mary. You should see the way he looks at you, like he burns for you. And you should be happy he has a past, it means that you will be going to bed with a man not a boy," Kenna said. Mary shrugged. She still wasn't sure how she felt, but she had never even tried to look at it from the point of view Kenna had just suggested.

Bash, on the other hand, knew exactly how he felt. He was head over heels in love with this girl who wasn't even remotely sure how he would fit into her life. He had been turning down offers left and right, which was highly unusual for him. He hadn't been able to move past a simple flirt with anyone since he had found himself by the lake with her the first time. _If she had only let me explain, _he thought. He threw himself deeper into his work, his summer classes, and his fraternity, determined to forget for the summer that she hadn't been in touch.

Greer became a constant presence in Leith's life over the summer. She loved that they were both completely free to do as they pleased, no work or school to tie them down. Lola attended summer school at USC to get a jump on her math courses, with Benjamin of course. They had already mapped out nearly identical degree plans. Aylee spent the summer in France with her biological father like she did every summer. Kenna and her cousin went backpacking through Europe. Mary moved to New York City (across the country) for an internship at a prestigious law firm that her father had connections to. She was set on attending law school and determined to make her resume impeccable. She pushed all the thoughts of California and all the people in it from her mind.

Francis tried to push himself into the collegiate social world through Sebastian and his friends. But all he was really successful in doing was getting himself into a lot of jams that Henry found himself weaseling him out of. He tried to convince himself that a couple public intoxication charges and minor under the influence on top of that wasn't really a big deal. Bash tried to put some distance between them, when he realized that Francis was past listening to a big brother's reasoning.


	14. Chapter 14

The week before the girls were slated to move into their college dorm rooms, they reconnected over pizza at their favorite pizza joint. Mary couldn't help but remember how much better pizza with Bash had tasted. She made a mental note to introduce the gang to what she was sure would become their new favorite place. Aylee came back more quiet and subdued like she always did when she came back from her father's. His new wife didn't care much for his child from his previous marriage. All the girls hated her having to spend her summers there, and they all hoped that next summer would be different. Lola swore she would show them all the best study places and how to get everywhere on campus, since she was the new "expert" on all things USC. She also offered inordinate and occasionally unwelcome advice on degree plans and which professors to avoid. Kenna came back more liberal than before but also with a more intense work ethic and stronger grasp of the world around her. Greer seemed confident that Leith was "the one". "We'll be married, or at least engaged, before graduation," she boasted. Mary told them about her most exciting moments at the law firm and how she was now even more sure that this was the correct career path for her. Catching up felt amazing, and they all promised never to be apart that long again. But they all knew that was a hollow promise.

For the next week, everyone retreated into their own shells to pack, organize, and prepare for the huge transition ahead. On move in day at the freshman tower, they met in the parking lot. Lola looked up at the tall tower, "We better be on a low floor." She looked around at all the other girls outrageously numerous belongings and attempted to mentally estimate the number of hours it would take them to move in. When they trudged inside with backpacks slung over their shoulders to the front desk, she was sorely disappointed. All five of them were on the top floor. "Eleven stories with all this crap," she muttered under her breath. Lola and Greer were roommates, as were Kenna and Mary, and the four of them would be sharing a bathroom. Aylee was just across the hall, with an as of yet unknown roommate.

Trudging back out to their cars with their parents they commenced the loading of boxes and bags onto carts, like those outside of hotels. It took far longer than it should have to lug all their things upstairs, since the elevators were constantly busy and the stairwells were cramped, but they did it. Once everything was in the rooms, the parents said their goodbyes, leaving behind cash and the assurances that they were right around the corner if their daughters needed anything. After a very minimal amount of unpacking in the crampy messy rooms, they decided it was time to find food.

They headed to the cafeteria on the lower floor of their building with Lola and Greer texting Benjamin and Leith on the way. Much to Mary's surprise Leith came alone. She was secretly hoping for him to bring a certain brown haired green eyed man along. "This is quite possibly the worst food I've ever had," Kenna exclaimed halfway through her lasagna. Leith chuckled, "This is by no means anyone's favorite dining hall. I'll help you pick next time. But, you will get used to it. However, if you want better food, you should rush a sorority. They have professional chefs cook dinner in the house." "Hmmm….." Kenna thought. She had already been planning to check out Greek life for its numerous social possibilities, but good food could sweeten the deal some. At the end of the meal, Leith and Benjamin offered to help the girls unpack, but they declined not ready to take their relationships to the level of intimacy required to deal with the chaotic mess upstairs.

They reluctantly dropped Aylee off first, and were quite shocked when her roommate opened the door. It was none other than Olivia, Francis' Olivia. Mary's heart sank to the pit of her stomach; she wasn't sure she could spend the first year of her college life face to face with the girl responsible for the worst heartbreak of her life. _What if her and Francis are still involved?_ She thought. She couldn't imagine watching him walk in at night and sneak out in the early morning. Olivia blushed; her thoughts had clearly turned to where Mary's were. Mary smiled and introduced herself in an attempt to be friendly and diffuse the situation. _This will be better for us all if we can find a way to be friendly or at least cordial_, she thought. Olivia tried to be friendly back, but the attempt didn't reach her eyes.

By the end of the first week on campus, the girls had successful set up their rooms and divided up space fairly. They had located all their classrooms, the coffee places on campus, and some better dining halls. They had also had fun participating in a lot of the freshman meet and greet activities hosted by various organizations. Mary had still not even glimpsed Sebastian , though.


	15. Chapter 15

**Since I've had a couple a reviewers request (*cough* demand *cough*) Bash as though their lives depended on it, I thought I would grant their wish. LOL **

The first morning of classes wasn't as tough as Mary thought. She was pretty sure that her workload would be quite manageable and that she was going to enjoy the college academic experience. _I am more than prepared for this_, she thought.

But she wasn't prepared for his windswept brown locks, intense penetrating green eyes and muscular lean frame staring at her as she crossed the quad with her friends. He was standing at a booth proclaiming "Greek Life" with a gorgeous blonde hanging off his shoulder talking to a potential sorority recruit. But none of that stopped his eyes from going straight to hers and locking there boring into her soul. Her breath caught in her throat, and she found that she couldn't turn away. It didn't matter anyway. Kenna was eagerly leading the group directly to the table. She was determined to participate in Greek life. The others were kind of on the fence, but they all usually ended up involved in all activities that one of them was this passionate about.

As they neared the table, Bash excused himself from the conversation and walked directly to Mary, merely nodding at the girls as he passed them. Everyone at the table and Mary's group of friends stared. It was clear to everyone present that Sebastian had decided that Mary was someone special, someone he wanted around badly. "Mary!" he called out full of joy at her presence. He found he was absolutely incapable of not sounding like he had missed her just as much as he really had. She was surprised by the warmth of his greeting; after all she hadn't excitedly made an effort to stay in touch after he had played the role of her knight in shining armor.

"How have you been? How was New York? Was the internship as amazing as you hoped?" She had no idea how he knew what she had done with her summer or why he would care. But she was incapable of not returning the warmth of his greeting; it was infectious.

"I'm forgetting my manners. I have so much I'd like to talk to you about, and you probably don't have near enough time now. Would you be willing to get pizza tonight, just the two of us?" he asked full of hope. He always knew that he had to try, and this really felt like the best time.

"Sure. I'll go out for pizza, Bash. When?"

"Tonight at 7 at our place. My life is going to be absolutely insane for the next couple of weeks thanks to rush," he said with a smirk. She nodded.

They walked back to the table without touching but closer than most "just friends". He introduced her to all the Greeks working the table. She noted that they were all in Trojan gear but no sorority or fraternity letters.

Kenna and the blonde discussed all the various sororities, rush week, pledging and bids animatedly. The other girls nodded and followed along, clearly interested in at least some of what they were hearing. By the end of the discussion all the girls were asking questions. Bash was beaming ear to ear. He couldn't hold back one iota of his excitement that she might soon be joining his Greek family.

As they strolled away from the quad, the girls unleashed a barrage of questions about Sebastian's conversation with Mary and the true nature of their relationship. She explained to them that she was just as surprised as they were that he greeted her with such warmth. "He asked me to dinner at the pizza place we went to the night I said with him," she said somewhat unsure. "I don't really know how to take it all."

"You're supposed to take it as a date, because it is one," Kenna informed her. All the other girls seemed to agree. "We have to get you up to our room and into something a little more pizza date night appropriate," Greer decided. The girls were full of renewed enthusiasm. There was nothing more enjoyable for them than seeing one of their own developing a relationship. In the middle of changing, she received a text. "On second thought, I'll meet you in the freshman dorm lobby. I want to walk you." – Sebastian. The girls appropriately ooohed and ahhed over his sweet text. She grew more nervous by the minute.


	16. Chapter 16

**So I just wrote a later chapter of this fic that made me so excited I want to get there faster. So therefore I give you Chapter 16 early. Hope you enjoy! And if you do, please review. I always enjoy hearing what you guys think. It makes my day. **

At 6:30 she couldn't take the being locked up in the room with the girls. She was convinced that if they did anything more to enhance her looks she would become unrecognizable. She thought she would be early, so she brought along her Game of Thrones book so she could read on the couch. However, she was met with the surprise of Sebastian being earlier than her. He was reading on the couch, just like she had intended to do, but had his back to her. This afforded her the rare opportunity to take in the sight of him and really drink it in without his knowledge. She really wished she could get lost in his eyes without the embarrassment of being caught staring. Summoning her courage she strolled across the common room and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up from the most recent book of the Wildwood series grinning broadly when his eyes landed on her form.

"You look absolutely beautiful. And once again you have completely outdone me," he said smiling as he stood. She was in a low cut black V neck tank top and skinny jeans tucked into knee high boots with 5 inch stiletto heels. He hadn't changed out of his USC maroon T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. She felt like she was overdressed and like perhaps the girls had read far too much into Bash's invitation. "Should we be on our way?"

She manages a nod. He grins at her heels. "I don't envy you those, but they sure look good. You didn't have to get all dressed up for me. I've seen you with no makeup and bed head remember?" he teased.

She blushed. "I just thought that wasn't exactly proper date attire," she threw the premise out there just to test his reaction.

"Perhaps, not the standard date attire," he concedes. "But it was my favorite and most memorable date."

She is stunned speechless, so they walk in relative silence to the pizza place. The only talking is him pointing out interesting things on campus and places he thinks she should know. He wants to try to help her adjust and learn the campus, so that she learns to love this place as much as he does.

When they arrive, he points to a small two person booth in the back corner of the narrow shop. "Go grab our seat. I'll order." He orders the same thing that they got the last time and joins her with their drinks.

He asks her about the internship. She finds it is easy to share with him the joys of working there. He seems to understand her passion for law, although he does not share it. He listens to her stories with no hint of boredom and no need to interrupt. Their pizza arrives.

He asks her what she thought of living in New York City. He is hoping that she didn't fall in love with it. There is not a huge job market for game designers there. He has every reason to hope that she decides to make her home in California. She honestly tells him that she enjoyed the experience but missed her home state of California. She missed the beach and her usual summer pastime of surfing. He nods understandingly and reveals that he too surfs. He tells her that the surf was decent but not exceptional this summer as a way of apologizing for her missing out. She appreciates the gesture.

Then she asks him what he did with his summer. He tells her about the summer philosophy course he took, the philanthropy activities his fraternity chapter participated in, intermural soccer, and the game he spent most of his summer testing.

Then he asks the million dollar question, the one that they have both been too afraid to ask since running into each other on the quad. "So, are you seeing anyone?"

She looks down and shakes her head. "Nope. I didn't really have time for my relationship with the girls much less for a romantic interest," she acknowledges, knowing that it makes her sound very dull.

He beams. Then she asks, "So who was the blonde on your arm at the Greek table today? Your girlfriend?"

He laughs heartily. "No, not my girlfriend. That was Casey. She is a really good friend. Our fraternity chapter has hosted a lot of events with her sorority chapter, so over the past two years we have gotten kind of close."

She nods. "But if, on the off chance, what you really wanted to ask was: Are you seeing anyone, Bash? The answer is no, Mary." He says it like it is not the elephant in the room, like she hasn't been waiting to find out that she had missed her chance. She is more relieved than she thought she would be and more than she cares to admit.

So she changes the subject. "Today at the Greek table you weren't wearing your letters. I thought the whole point was to get people to rush your frat. How do you do that if they have no idea which that is?"

"I'm one of the brothers that has de-affiliated for rush week. We are supposed to unbiasedly guide pledges through rush. After rush week we go back to wearing our letters and participating in events with our brothers."

She nods suddenly genuinely interested. He sounds so passionate about the organization when he talks. "Tell me more, Bash." It's music to his ears.

They talk until 10 pm and then she looks at her watch. "Shit!" "What's wrong?" he asks full of concern. She turns scarlet. "It is past my freshman first week curfew. I'm not going to be able to get into my dorm."

"There's an easy solution to this problem, Mary," he says calmly.

"Oh?! Just how easy is it to break into the freshman girls dormitory after curfew, Bash?" she replies irritated.

"I wasn't suggesting that at all. You've stayed at my apartment before. Why not again?" he suggests like it is a perfectly acceptable idea, one that isn't dangerous for them both. But out of necessity and maybe, just maybe, the butterflies in the pit of her stomach, she agrees.

His apartment is exactly as she remembers it. He gets her a T-shirt (this time Mountain Dew) and another pair of basketball shorts. This time when he says he will sleep on the couch, she turns his own argument against him. "We've shared a bed, this bed, your bed, before Bash. If I remember correctly I was a little less clothed then as well." He nods. His mouth has gone dry, so he merely nods.

She gets her way. He crawls into bed next to her after turning off the lights. In the darkness she slips out of his shorts. She knows that this is a risky move, and if she is honest with herself she is somewhat embarrassed and nervous being so scantily clothed in bed next to a man, next to Bash. But she convinces herself that he has seen her just this state of undress before. _Plus he is a perfect gentleman_, she thinks.


	17. Chapter 17

**So I was going to space out the release of new chapters, however I am realizing that I am incredibly impatient. So here is this.**

In the morning she wakes up surrounded by warmth and feeling safe and comfortable. Bash is spooning her with one arm extended under her pillow their fingers interlocked, one arm draped over her bare hip (since it would appear his T-shirt has ridden up a bit) and their legs intertwined. She can't help but notice that her butt is also being poked by some part of his anatomy. She feels out of her depth and at a loss for how best to handle the situation. He is snoring softly in her ear. She decides to bask in the warmth of his arms for a while longer. Her earliest class is at 11am, so she is quite certain that she has the time to spare.

Sebastian awakens to the pleasant realization that even though she is clearly awake (her breathing tips him off; he remembers the deep slow rhythm of her sleep breathing) she is still in his arms. In fact, he is fairly certain that she hasn't moved. He smiles and whispers into her ear, "Good morning, sunshine." He is also acutely aware of his inappropriate arousal. He's fairly certain that this is going to cause a bit of embarrassment this morning.

"How did you know I was awake?" she asks rolling over to look him in the eyes.

"Your breathing gave it away. When you sleep you breathe deeper and slower."

She is once again amazed by how he has learned her so well in such a short time. "And what woke you?" she asks, with a teasing smirk.

He knows what she is referring to. "Just time to get up, I guess. Lots of guys wake up like this every morning. I promise I was a perfect gentleman all night," he assures her, worried that in her naivety she might think that he was taking advantage.

"I trust you with my life, Bash. You don't need to explain things to me."

On impulse, he kisses her. The kiss is light, sweet and slow. She returns it with more passion than he was expecting, and so slowly it deepens. He eases away from her thinking; _she has no idea what she does to me._ "Let's get some breakfast." She merely nods.

She stares at her forgotten "date night attire" with disdain. She doesn't really want to get dressed up right now. He notices her look. "Just wear my clothes like you usually do," he says with a smirk. Her eyes light up. He really can't deny her anything. He goes to the closet and hands her a bag for her clothing. Then he grabs his own clothes for the day and ducks into the bathroom. He's ready in less than five minutes.

She picks a Battlefield T-shirt and gray gym shorts with his slightly too big black flip flops. When she slips into the bathroom to tidy up, she notices he's left a new toothbrush sitting on the countertop for her. _He remembered_, she thinks. "So where are we going?" she asks when she's done.

He just smiles. "My favorite breakfast spot." They stroll easily down the sidewalk for 4 blocks, away from campus. Then he turns towards a house. He smiles seeing her confusion. "It's this mom and pop pastry and coffee shop. They converted this old house. It's actually pretty cool." She smiles and follows him up the steps.

They're barely inside the door before a motherly looking older woman standing behind the counter calls out, "Bash!" He beams and walks over. They hug and kiss each other's cheeks then speak rapidly in French for a short while. Mary is taken aback by their easy familiarity. "Mary, this is Angelica," he says introducing them. The older woman beams and turns to Bash saying something in French again. He just nods and smiles at Mary. "He never brings any girls by to introduce them to me; you must be special, ma cherie," she states. They order coffee and pastries and Bash leads her to a corner booth by the window.

He explains that he found this place when he was first on campus. He's been coming at least once a week since and often he talks current events with her and her husband. They're from France and all the time around his mother's relatives means that he is fluent. "So what exactly did you two talk about just now?" she asks with a slight blush.

"She complemented me on your beauty. And I told her that it's more than beauty that makes you so attractive," he replies, emboldened by the espresso.

She blushes fiercely and turns her attention to the street. In an effort to make her feel more at ease they spend the rest of breakfast people watching. After a perfectly lovely start to her day, Sebastian walks her back to her dorm and kisses her softly outside her door.

When she slips into the room, all four of her friends' eyes are boring into her. "You've got some explaining to do," Lola warns.


	18. Chapter 18

_A little something to make me feel better before exam day tomorrow… Hope you guys enjoy. I always love reading your reviews!_

**Rush Week Day 1**

At breakfast, Kenna informs them that this is known as Convo Day, short for conversation. They are invited to a gathering of the sororities where they can mix with all the female Greeks and hopefully get a better idea of what each sorority has to offer.

Mary couldn't care less. For her, today marked the first day of real classes, as in not just the day where you show up to receive a syllabus. She is already on edge about making sure that she is early for her classes, completely prepared, and makes a good first impression on the professor. She knows that her academics will make or break her future law school application. She can't afford to slack for even one class. Kenna is majoring in Fine Arts, so Mary is fairly certain that life is different for her.

Lola completely agrees with Mary. She has been up half the night working practice problems for calculus. They had their first real lecture last week. She is sure that she wants to pursue engineering, so she knows that she must have a phenomenal grasp of fundamental calculus.

Greer and Aylee however seem quite interested in pursuing Kenna's quest for social events.

They split up to attend class and meet again for lunch, where the conversation is repeated. Able to relax slightly now that their classes are over for the day, Mary and Lola reluctantly agree to attend the conversation day.

They show up in the quad to interact with the various sorority groups around 4pm. Mary is surprised not to find similar groups of men littering the quad. The fraternities had always seemed to be in the vicinity of sorority events, but there is no sign of them at the moment. If she is being truthfully with herself, she is disappointed that she doesn't get to see Bash. He has been a highlight of her early collegiate career.

They chat with numerous groups of girls. They learn some from each group about the sorority life and principles. By the end of the night, Lola is convinced that she would like to join as well. It just seems natural that they would all pursue the same sorority, so they decide to discuss each night until it is decided on. Tonight they are unable to rule out more than one. They all had aspects that one or more girls found appealing. However, Kenna is confident that they will have an easier time ruling out bad candidates as the week continues.

Bash had known that this week would be difficult as far as spending any time with Mary went and he is thankful that she spent the night with him the night before. He is enjoying the barbeque and hanging out with all the other fraternity men and prospects but none of that makes up for the fact that she isn't here.

At the end of the evening social as they are packing up and Leith is preparing to take some of the leftover BBQ to Greer, he asks why Sebastian has seemed distant. Bash disagrees. He was very sociable and quite enjoyed the party. "Yeah but you just haven't been completely here, bro," Leith responds.

Bash shrugs. Then he decides to let Leith in on his thoughts. After all, the other guy has likely already guessed exactly what Bash was thinking. "My mind has been partly away with her, Mary."

"You need to make it official, man. You're already whipped."

Sebastian just smiles. He figures that Leith is right and for once he doesn't mind the insinuation that she controls his every move. However, he realizes that she has no idea what an impact she has on him, so the official proposal to date will have to wait.

That night at home alone in his bed, it occurs to him how much more home-like his apartment was with her in it. He impulsively sends her a text, "My bed feels too large and cold without you in it. Missing you." It's girly he knows. But he doesn't care. She makes him feel unafraid to share his deepest feelings, all the things that make him vulnerable. She makes him feel safe opening his heart.

She reads the text and smiles at the warmth that spreads across her body at his words. She feels improper saying that she wishes that she was there again tonight, even though she very much does. So she responds, "Miss you too, Bash."

It's enough for him. Enough for now at least, he thinks. Someday he would love to not have to send that text because she is already lying beside him. Content, he manages to drift off to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**Rush Week Day 2**

Kenna convinces them that should all go tour the houses today, so that they can narrow their sorority choices and decide who to invest time in this week. She also insists that they "put their best foot forward" and "make a good first impression". So they all choose fall dresses, boots, handbags, and jewelry. If they're honest with themselves it is kind of fun to dress up for an "interview". There is something about it that feels deliciously grown up.

When they arrive at Greek row, Casey, Bash and the other de-affiliated members are standing at a table waiting to take people on tours. She smiles shyly up at Bash, and he returns her smile with a grin of his own. He turns to Casey and asks, "Do you think that you could take these lovely ladies for a tour?" She nods, not missing the glance he shared with Mary. "Just sign in and pick up a folder, ladies."

As they sign in, Mary can't help but notice the easy familiarity between Bash and Casey. She reaches out to touch his shoulder when she chats about Greek events that they've participated in. In fact it seems a rare occurrence when her eyes leave him for very long. Mary can't help but feel jealous of the girl. She is pretty, too pretty to be that close to Bash, she thinks. Indeed, Casey has long, smooth, natural blonde hair done in perfect loose curls and clipped back. She is wearing minimal makeup, but yet her lips are a perfect pink, her lashes are the longest Mary thinks she has ever seen, and her bright blue eyes sparkle. Her maroon dress hugs her curves in a classy sophisticated way. Her pumps match perfectly. And the golden jewelry accents her school spirit perfectly.

She leads them down the row, happily chatting with the girls about all the sororities. Mary manages to appear friendly and interested, but she has a hard time focusing. She is happy every time that they enter a house and she has the opportunity to socialize with someone other than the far too perfect blonde that is leading them around. She can't help the fact that Casey's appearance brings back bad memories of Olivia.

The house tours gave them much to think about, so when they returned to their rooms they gathered to discuss options. By the end of the night they had narrowed their choices to two sororities: Kappa Kappa Gamma and Alpha Delta Pi.

That night as she lies in bed staring at the ceiling, her phone buzzes on her desk. She can't imagine who would be texting her at this time of night, so she goes to get her phone. The text is from Francis. It is the first time they've been in contact since she left the prom after party. She is still moderately afraid of the boy, but another part of her remembers her as the innocent love of her childhood. He wants to know if she might be free to meet up tomorrow. After some quiet deliberation, she responds that she will willing meet him for lunch between classes at the Parkside Restaurant.

No sooner has she sent the text than she is feeling another buzz from the phone. She expects it to be a simple acknowledgement of their plans from Francis, so she is quite surprised when the name on her screen reads Sebastian. A smile graces her countenance unbidden. She opens the text.

"I'm so glad that you and the girls came out tonight. Hope I continue to see you this week. Your presence lights up my day."

She isn't sure how to reply. She thinks for only a minute before deciding on teasingly. "You are such a flirt."

Her response makes him laugh. _If she only knew that all my attention has been focused on her since the lake_, he thought bitterly. She never really seemed to get that he was crazy about her. "I really did miss you."

Feeling the building jealousy get the better of her, she responds, "You had Casey to keep you company."

He is confused. There were a ton of people hanging out around him today. _Why would she be focusing on Casey?_ He decides that it isn't something that they should discuss via text message. He settles for, "Goodnight, Mary."


	20. Chapter 20

**Rush Week Day 3**

She woke feeling guilty for jealously lashing out at Bash the night before. In the clear light of day it was quite obvious to her that she didn't have any claim to him. After all, she had plans to meet Francis for lunch today.

Nonetheless, she remained distracted throughout most of her morning classes, which would explain how she walked right into a T-shirt clad solid muscular chest exiting her philosophy class. Warm, slightly rough hands gently held her arms. She turned the color of a tomato before glancing up to see who she had so carelessly walked into. Her eyes met his piercing light green orbs.

"Sebastian…?" she asked startled to see him there. She hadn't seen him in the general vicinity when she got out of this class last week. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," he said with a smirk, clearly pleased that his presence unnerved her so.

"Well, I have a lunch date to get to," she said trying to be rid of him.

"I'll walk you," he said refusing to be gone.

They walked in silence for about a minute before he asked, "What did you mean by that Casey comment last night?"

"Just that you two seem awfully close."

"We are close friends. We've spent a lot of time doing Greek activities together. But you said it like you were implying something more than friendship," he looked down at her.

Her first impulse was to look away, to avoid meeting those eyes, and to lie. But she found that she unable to. "I meant it that way," she whispered looking at her feet embarrassed. Then she launched into a ramble, "I… I guess I was just jealous, because we had been spending so much time together. But we never discussed a relationship; you didn't even suggest it. I know I really have no right to care who you choose to spend time with."

"Look at me, Mary," he commanded. It took her a moment, but she complied. "Casey and I are friends, only friends. For the record, I love that you care who I spend time with and how I feel about them. I care who you spend time with and how you feel about them. I have had feelings for you since after Francis' party." He is open, honest, and candid as he holds her attention and gaze standing outside the door to the cafeteria.

That's when Francis chooses to make his presence known. He's been watching them long enough to know that something is happening between them and to realize that he doesn't like it. "Hello, Mary. Brother," he almost growls the last word as if he is trying to make Bash realize his place. He takes Mary's arm to lead her towards the table he is saving.

Sebastian stands watching them walk away, feeling very much like he is being punished. He very much regrets not telling Mary how he feels earlier since she has now apparently decided to date his brother.

That evening the girls attend bowling night with the Kappas. The night was so enjoyable that Mary was able to pull herself out of her thoughts and be an active participant in the conversations and activity. At the end of the night the girls all left feeling as though they had met their sisters; however Lola urged them to attend the ADPI social the next night so that they could be sure.

Mary checked her phone before lying in bed. Francis had sent her a text thanking her for coming to lunch with him and asking her to commit to a lunch next week. She found herself unable to respond to him. She wanted nothing more than to know what Bash was thinking. He made quite a declaration. She elected to text him. "So that was quite the declaration today…."

"I meant every word. I'm sorry if I am a bit late," he responded instantaneously.

She smiled widely at that. "You aren't too late. Where do we go from here?"

His heart was leaping out of his chest. He couldn't believe his luck. He had been so convinced that she was with Francis now. "I think we go out on a proper date."

Then he quickly adds, "Dinner next Monday at 7. I'll pick you up."

"Sounds good," she responds with a grin.


	21. Chapter 21

**Rush Week Day 4 **

Mary wakes up feeling particularly sunny. She is remembering her dreams of dating Bash, provoked of course by his texts. She has the wild idea that perhaps she dreamed those as well, so she indulges her memory by re-reading them.

In the process she finds the text from Francis trying to get her to commit to lunch the following week. She isn't quite sure what to say. Bash and she weren't "official", and she didn't see Bash being the type of boyfriend to deny her going to lunch with a friend, even if that friend was a guy who used to be a crush. However, she had the sneaking suspicion that Francis wasn't intending for this to be a purely platonic lunch. She settles on something that might express these feelings to Francis. "I am kind of starting a new relationship, but I could probably arrange a friendly lunch sometime next week." She wants him to know that she is serious about someone else, but that she still would like to be friends like they always were growing up.

When the girls are getting ready for the day crowding around the sink in their shared bathroom, they notice a change in Mary. "You seem especially energetic and happy this morning…." Greer lets the comment hang in the air. Mary simply smiles and says, "Thank you!"

"Does this have something to do with your lunch with Francis yesterday?" Kenna asks. She is always the first to relate changes in mood or personality to boys.

"Not at all," Mary replies. She can't believe that she ever pictured herself with Francis now that the prospect of having Sebastian all to herself is real.

Lola is always more intuitive than the other girls though, so it isn't long before she chimes in. "So then it has something to do with Sebastian de Poiters…"

Mary beams. She has wanted to tell her best friends everything all morning, but she wasn't quite sure how to bring it up. "He asked me out on a 'proper date' for dinner Monday."

A chorus of: "What!?", "How could you not tell us?", and "OMG! I'm so excited." rang out in stereo. She is beaming from ear to ear. She isn't sure that the feeling can get any better.

"How did this all come about?" Kenna asks, always the first to want details.

"Well I kind of confronted him about Casey. I guess I was just jealous even though I didn't have a real reason to be. Then he made this declaration that he was interested in me since the night we got arrested, but I was meeting Francis for lunch. I was so shocked. So that night I brought his confession up and he apologized for being too late. I let him know that I wasn't with anyone. He took the opportunity to ask me out. Where am I supposed to go from here?"

"Well to dinner, silly," replied Greer.

"We'll help you get ready. Don't worry," Kenna said with a grin.

She was so happy to have these amazing ladies in her life. They always made sure to have each other's backs.

That evening they attended the ADPI social at a boutique ice cream parlor. It was fun but not quite the scene that they were looking forward. By the end of the night all the girls were convinced that Kappa was the sorority for them. This officially began the start of nerves about preference and bid day – also known as the next two days of the week.

All the girls were gushing and anxious the whole way back to the dorms. For once it seemed like they all needed a short break from one another. Aylee was all too happy to accept Olivia's invitation to go get a late dinner at one of the dining halls. Kenna put on her makeup and heels and declared that she was going to one of the local college bars to hunt for a "man". She never said anything but all the girls knew that she was jealous of most of them settling into a relationship. She wanted nothing more to have a steady guy, but she spent a great deal of her time finding guys that would never be relationship material. Lola had quietly sneaked off to the library to work on her calculus with Benjamin. And now Leith was texting Greer and practically pleading her to come hang out with him. Greer made a show of not wanting to leave Mary alone, but Mary assured her it was okay. She thought it would be the perfect time to get a little schoolwork done.

It wasn't thirty minutes into her alone time when she decided she had had enough. Her fingers flew to her phone and before she had even thought it through she had texted Bash. "Whatcha doing?"

As per his standard operating procedure he immediately paused the game he was playing the second he saw her name flash across his phone's screen. He wasn't expecting to hear from her tonight, but he was pleased to be surprised. "I'm just playing a game. You should know that this is how I spend A LOT of my nights." He was teasingly warning her about the issue that most frequently came up in his relationships. Women tended to feel like they were taking a back seat to a video game with him. It was often hard to get them to understand that these games were his work.

"You know I've never seen you play…" she hints. She is actually interested in his games. They're his work and his passion. She wants to get to know everything about him. Somehow the games just seem like a natural and easy place to start.

"You wouldn't enjoy it that much. It tends to be pretty boring for most people."

"I think I might…" she replies. She knows that she will enjoy the opportunity to see him, even if it does mean that all she gets to do is stare at him from across the room while he plays a game she thinks is utterly stupid.

He grins. She just keeps dropping these hints. He isn't stupid; he knows exactly what she is fishing for. "Are you alone, Mary?"

She isn't sure how he knows. He just seems to read her so well, like she is an open book. She doesn't want to tell him exactly how lame she is being, but she doesn't know how else to respond. "Yeah."

"Well we can't have you bored and alone. There's no telling what you'll get into. ;) You are completely right. You should be sitting on my couch watching the insanely boring spectacle of me playing games and talking to my screen. I'll pick you up in 10. I can't have you walking over here this late."

She smiles. He always knows what she needs and is more than willing to give it to her. She changes into yoga pants and a tank and packs a backpack with a book she needs to read and her laptop thinking that perhaps she can get some school work done while they're together. By the time she walks out the front door of the dorm, Bash's truck is already in the drop off lane. He leans over from the driver's seat and opens the door for her. She sets her bag on the floorboard and climbs in.

"I think I could get used to picking you up at all hours, if you always look like this," he says with a smirk. He is clearly staring at her cleavage in the low cut tank and the way the yoga pants cling to her rear. She blushes. He reaches across the truck and takes her hand in his for the drive.

When they get inside his apartment, he plays the perfect host. "Make yourself at home. Do whatever you need to do; I promise you won't offend me in the least. Can I get you anything?"

She smiles at his kindness. "Can I get water?" she asks. He walks into the kitchen and starts getting her a glass, and she takes the opportunity to ask about his game. "So what are you working on tonight?"

For a moment he is shocked that she is actually asking him this, actually interested in this. But then his mind flashes back to sitting in his truck bed next to this girl and discussing their dreams. She was such a good listener. She never made him feel like he bored her. "I'm testing a new FPS with some really amazing graphics." He continues telling her about the storyline of the game, his favorite things about the graphics and the game play, and the minor errors that they've found and suggested corrections for.

She listens intently. "Can I watch?" she asks sheepishly.

He is beyond amazed and more than a little excited to show her. "Of course! But if you get bored, just get up and do whatever you need to do. I promise you won't hurt my feelings." He's been told that he doesn't really notice what is going on in the real world around him when he is playing, and he doesn't want her to think that he doesn't care about her.

He starts the game up without his headphones so that she can hear the sound effects. She thinks the graphics make the game play like a movie in a theatre. But what is truly amazing in her mind, is the way he manages to control his character with such ease. His fingers fly over the controller and even hours into play he hasn't died once. She admires his talent and his passion from the couch where she finally gets to stare at him as much as she wants without it being the slightest bit awkward.

By midnight she is yawning frequently and quite ready for bed. She sheepishly walks across the living room to him and taps his shoulder. He pauses the game in an instant and looks up at her. "I am going to go to bed now." He glances at the clock.

_Wow! It's late. I should've offered her a ride home earlier. Now she is stuck her; and that was probably not her plan_, he thinks. "Sorry I stranded you here," he says looking quite ashamed.

She smiles. "I was actually hoping to stay tonight," she says uncharacteristically boldly although she is blushing ferociously.

He smirks. He thinks it is quite nice that she wants to stay here with him and sexy as hell that she is saying that this was her intent all along. "Well then how about we go to bed, Mary," he rises and sets the controller down his eyes locked on her with a burning intensity that she has never seen before.

He leads her to his bed room and lays out a T-shirt for her to sleep in, having remembered her preference for losing his basketball shorts as soon as humanly possible. He turns away from her, giving her plenty of time to change her top and hop into bed. When she tells him he can turn around he does, smiles at her, and peels off his T-shirt.

She blatantly stares at him as he crosses the space from his window to the bed. She can feel her heart racing like it is going to beat right out of her chest. He's giving her that look again, the one from the living room.

He slips into the silky sheets next to her and turns her to face him. She is hypnotized. It is physically impossible for her to break his eye contact. He brushes the hair from her eyes and whispers, "You are so beautiful." And just like that his lips come crashing down on hers. His kiss is soft and slow but intense and passionate. She soon finds herself parting her lips to grant him access and deepen the kiss. Her hands explore his bare torso, but he remains gentlemanly by not allowing his hands to stray far from her waist, her face and her neck. They lie in bed facing one another, holding on tight, and kissing passionately for longer than she thought possible. He is the one to pull away first. He kisses her on the forehead chastely and says, "I think we should get some sleep. We both have early classes, and this could go on all night." His voice is thick and husky. She loves the thought that on some level she caused that reaction in him. She nods and allows him to pull her close and stroke her hair until she falls asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

**Rush Week Day 5 – Preference Night**

She awakes to the incessant sound of his and her alarm clocks going off in stereo. He is rousing from sleep as well. His arms are still holding her close, as though he hasn't released his hold on her even slightly all night. "Good morning," she whispers.

He groggily reaches out and turns off both of their cell phone alarms. Then he seems more content and able to focus enough for response. "Good morning, beautiful."

His voice is still thick and husky like it was the night before. This reminds her of what they had done the night before. She was quite embarrassed that she had invited herself into his bed and behaved so wantonly. It was unlike her to be so bold. The little voice in the back off her head told her that he was used to getting more from the girls that dragged him to bed before. After that thought she dropped her eyes from his out of shame. _I'm still a virgin. It's going to be ages before I even come close to being what he'll expect me to be_, she thinks.

Her emotions must have been playing themselves out across her face, because he asks, "What are you thinking?"

She isn't sure how to respond. "About last night….," she starts.

"Last night was amazing," he interrupts.

"Really?" she queries. She still isn't quite sure that she believes him, that it wasn't enough for him, that he didn't pull back because he was convinced it wouldn't go any further because of her. "You didn't want… more?" she asked with a slight cough and intense blush.

"I will always want more, Mary," he whispers. "No matter what." Sensing her tensing in his arms, he continues, "I stopped us last night because I don't want to rush you. I can wait, as long as it takes. You're worth it. I want to date you properly. You deserve that."

She is impressed by his confession even if she isn't sure that this patience of his will last too long. "So you're not disappointed?" she asks.

He smiles broadly. "No, not at all. I think last night was actually one of the best in my life."

"You don't have to lie to me, Bash," she says lightly smacking his chest.

"I'm not lying to you, Mary," he says pulling her against him roughly and claiming her mouth with his own once more.

She is breathless and slightly dazed when they break apart later. She turns to look at the clock on her phone and is instantly spurred into action. "Oh my God! Bash, it's 7:30. We only have 30 minutes to get ready and be in class." She flies out of bed not even slightly aware of the fact that she is wearing nothing but Bash's shirt and her lacy panties.

He is hot on her heels as they race for the bathroom. She doesn't even protest as he insists on sharing the sink with her. They hurriedly brush their teeth and make their hair look presentable. Then they dash back to his bedroom and throw on clothes – yoga clothes from the night before for her and a T-shirt and cargo shorts for him. He refuses to allow either of them to leave the apartment without some sort of breakfast. He makes them hot tea in to-go cups and hands her a breakfast bar and a banana. They're out the door in plenty of time to be to class on time, since he thankful lives so close to campus. Because he knows the time it takes him to get to class well, he forces her to slow down and eat some while they walk. When they reach the part of campus where they must part to go separate ways, he bends and plants a kiss upon her lips, wishes her a good day, and promises to be in touch later.

They both finish the rest of their walk to class solo, thinking about how they could become accustomed to this feeling.

This evening's event will be preference day. Mary and the girls spend extra time getting dressed up. This is their last opportunity to make a good impression on the Kappas before they offer bids tomorrow. They take care to perfectly accessorize, style their hair and apply their makeup perfectly.

They walk over to the Kappa sorority house together in silence. The five of them are now more nervous than ever that they won't all receive bids tomorrow or that they will for different sororities. They walk into the Kappa house together and are instantly met by two friendly sorority members. They spend most of the evening in the company of these girls and get all their final questions answered. They do their absolute best to express their complete interest in this sorority and the reasons that they feel they will be a good fit. At the end they all turn in identical rank lists of the sororities with the hope that they are all high enough on one groups list when they get offered bids tomorrow.

On the way back to the dormitory, Kenna talks animatedly about how monumentally life changing this night might be, while the couple up girls reach out to their significant others. Benjamin reassures Lola that even if she fails at rushing the sorority of her choice (which he is sure she won't, because she doesn't fail anything, ever) that it won't affect her college experience or her chances of getting in to top tier PhD programs. Leith fondly reminisces with Greer about how he felt two years ago on his preference night. He talks about how he knew what the right decision was and tells her that the Kappa girls are going to love her.

Mary is unsure if it is acceptable to text Bash; she isn't sure if he has something going on for preference night. She figures that if Leith can text Greer than Bash can likely respond to her though. So she shoots him a quick text, "Haven't heard from you. Everything okay?"

"Yup, I'm just hanging out with friends waiting for the go ahead to re-affiliate with our fraternities so we can share our input on bids."

"Oh? Sounds like a long night. Who are you with?" she is curious about this side of things. She misses him and longs to be able to go over to his place like the night before, especially after the night before. But he warned her that this week would be crazy for him, so she tries to be grateful for the time that he has been able to dedicate to her.

"It shouldn't be too bad of a night," he responds. Then shortly after he adds, "Casey."

This sets her off more than it probably should. She can't believe that after their night together he is spending his evening alone with Casey like that is no big deal. She decides that she doesn't want to have any further conversation with him that night. "I'm going to try and get some shut eye."

"Yeah, definitely. You are going to do great, Mary. The Kappas would be crazy not to love you."

She reads the text but her mood is so soured by his earlier revelation that she isn't even able to smile at his attempt to comfort her.


End file.
